Polyketone polymers are relatively high molecular weight materials having established utility as premium thermoplastics in the production of shaped articles, such as containers for food and beverages and parts for the automotive industry, which are produced by processing the polyketone polymer according to well known methods. For some particular applications it is desirable to have properties which are somewhat different from those of the polyketone polymers. The more desirable properties of the polyketone polymers may be retained, and yet other properties improved, through the provision of a conductive polymer compound.
Polymers are combined with conductive additives to form polymer blends that are capable of conducting electrical current and useful for a variety of applications. Conductive polymer blends provide shielding from electromagnetic or radio frequency interference and facilitate electrostatic discharge. Typical shielding applications include housings for computers portable electronic instruments, or military communications equipment. Bearings, bushings, rollers, gears, fuel transfer lines, and connectors are good applications for conductive polymer blends, particularly when electrostatic discharge (e.g. to prevent electric shock or sparks) is a desired property. Conductive polymer blends are also used for molded parts that will be painted electrostatically. Occasionally, conductive polymer blends are used to conduct electronic signals, such as in computer keyboards and EKG electrodes. Conductive additives are often selected for specific applications based on both the electrical and mechanical properties of the resulting conductive blends.
It is an object of this invention to provide a conductive polymer blend, containing a low concentration of a conductive additive, that exhibits low resistivity. The conductive polyketone blends of the subject invention exhibit surface and volume resistivities that are unexpectedly lower than the levels typical for other polymers blended with comparable amounts of such conductive additives.